Key Points
- First national daily-use estimate: Rutgers team provides the first U.S. estimate of daily nicotine-pouch use among adults, published in JAMA Network Open.
- Who uses pouches: Overall adult use remains low (2.5%); use is “virtually non-existent” among tobacco-naïve adults and highest among non-Hispanic white men and recent quitters.
- Cessation context: Current and daily use is most prevalent among adults who have recently quit another tobacco product, suggesting harm-reduction use.
- Regulatory backdrop: FDA authorized marketing of 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products via the PMTA pathway in January 2025; these products cannot be marketed as cessation aids.
- Youth trend: 1.8% of U.S. middle and high school students reported current pouch use in 2024, up from 1.1% in 2022, keeping youth protection a priority.
2Firsts, Sep 9, 2025 — From Miragenews report, Adult use of nicotine pouches in the United States remains limited but is concentrated among people with a history of tobacco use—particularly those who recently quit—according to a Rutgers Health analysis published in JAMA Network Open. The study offers the first national estimate of daily pouch use among adults and provides a baseline for monitoring future changes in behavior.
Using responses from more than 110,000 adults in the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022–2023 Tobacco Use Supplement, the researchers examined uptake of oral nicotine pouches (e.g., ZYN, Velo) and quitting patterns before and after 2019, when pouches became widely available. They found overall adult prevalence of 2.5%, with non-Hispanic white men most likely to have used the product. Use among tobacco-naïve adults was “virtually non-existent.”
Lead author Cristine D. Delnevo said the data indicate many adults may be using pouches for harm reduction, as current and daily use were highest among those who had recently quit another tobacco product or e-cigarettes. While nicotine pouches avoid combustion and do not contain tobacco leaf, the authors note nicotine is addictive and longer-term health effects of oral pouch use warrant continued study.
The findings arrive amid significant regulatory developments. On January 16, 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized marketing for 20 ZYN nicotine pouch products through the PMTA pathway—the agency’s first authorization for this product category. FDA emphasized that pouches may not be marketed as smoking-cessation therapies (unlike FDA-approved patches, gums, or lozenges).
Youth trends continue to be closely watched. The 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey reported 1.8% of U.S. middle and high school students were current pouch users, making pouches the second most commonly used youth tobacco product that year and reinforcing researchers’ calls for vigilant oversight of flavors and marketing.
Rutgers investigators conclude that while adult pouch use appears aligned with harm-reduction behavior among former tobacco users, protections against youth uptake remain essential as the marketplace evolves.
